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Random Stuff Soap Box…
December 13th, 2010
I’m jumping on my soapbox today and speaking out.
This morning’s dawn was amazing, the ocean was calm and the sky clear. Yet there was something horribly wrong with the beach scene. The amount of rubbish that was left over from yesterday was disgusting.
A blue sky Sunday in Manly sees thousands of people packing the beach. They come because it is such a great spot – then some leave their rubbish to sink into the sand or drift out to see. It takes a special kind of moron to be that stupid. Manly council does employ a variety of methods to keep the place clean. Yet the message does not seem to get through.
There are ‘on the spot fines’ for littering in the area but unlike parking infringements, which are enforced with an iron fist and excessive fines, I am yet to hear of a single person being fined for littering. Come on Manly Council – issue the fines to people trashing the place. If you collected $60 from every fool that left rubbish on the beach it would be a cash bonanza and the message would get through pretty quick!..
So speak out loud
Of the things you are proud
And if you love this coast
Then keep it clean as it evolves
Because the way that it shines
May just dwindle with time
With the changes it will confront
– “The Message” Xavier Rudd.
Enjoy Your day,
Joel Coleman…
December 13th, 2010
To see that litter on our beach, breaks my heart. In this country, in this day & age, how can people be so thoughtless.?
Part of the problem is the locations of the rubbish bins. Too far away for the lazy buggers to walk. Move them closer & make them more visible.
How about occasional announcements over the beach PA system – "please don’t litter, take your crap with you, there are fines, etc".
And yes, yes, yes, Council Rangers get down there and kick some A#se.
December 13th, 2010
nice work in your blog thismorning! Hate how people hit the beach and leave all their crap behind, pi$$es me right off!
Chur!
December 13th, 2010
Well Said Joel.. People need to get Off their assess and walk to the bin..
Or maybe take a shopping bag with them (no extra weight or space needed) and through all their rubbish in that, then take one item to the bins!
Good on you for speaking out about this! Sometimes the beach needs a voice! (I do lots of bush walking in national parks etc, but love getting your emails. But I always take a shopping bag and collect bits of rubbish in the bush – ‘leave it better than you found it’ is the motto often used. How people can neglect this issue is beyond many rational minds.. (maybe its all the people out drunk on beach on Saturday night?)
Good on ya mate – keep up the good work. Hopefully you’ve got a few Councillors or people who can muscle in on Council / Law-enforcement officers (rangers) on your email list who’ve been moved by your email today..
Maybe you should consider emailing a few larger format flicks tomorrow to send a clearer message?
cheers
Stew,
Penrith
December 13th, 2010
Well put.
I went for a soft sand this morning and was disgusted by all the crap.
I cant understand peoples mentality – they come down as its beautiful and
leave all their shit for us to deal with.
Thanks for the dailty shots – keep up the great work!
Karl
December 13th, 2010
Stay on your soap box! Well done! And fantastic photos of the brainless rubbish….maybe they should be poster size divided in to two vetically with the pristine before side and the brainless after side and put on a sign at the beginning and the end of the Corso with a ‘Do the right thing’ message attached!
Jenny
December 13th, 2010
Well said Joel!! Say it loud. The people who live around and love our beautiful beaches will all be totally behind you and passionately agree with your message this morning. Its such a sad, sad sight. ‘Do the right thing’ is a great message Jenny – I love it. C’mon Manly Council, lets see some hard ass action!
December 13th, 2010
GOOD ON YA JOEL!
THE RUBBISH LEFT ON MANLY BEACH BY RUBBERNECKS AND MINDLESS CRETINS IS A JOKE AND IT HAS TO STOP.
I WENT OFF AT A GROUP OF NECKS ON MY WAY HOME FROM THE BOWER THE OTHER DAY WHO GOT UP AND WALKED AWAY LEAVING A LOAD OF CRAP ON THE SAND.
ITS WORTH PULLING UP THESE FESTERING BOVINES THAT TRASH OUR SACRED PLACE AND COUNCIL DOES NEED TO GET TOUGHER!
YOU ARE A LEDGE FOR GETTING ON YOUR SOAPBOX ABOUT THIS JOEL…
December 13th, 2010
It’s just crazy, the council provides bins and these people just think they are too cool to use them. Maybe they should be given 12 lashes if they get caught littering. Or maybe line up the litter bugs and shoot them on the backside with paint-ball guns.
December 13th, 2010
Good on you Joel for speaking out!
I remember going down to swim in the harbour last year on New Year’s Day, and I couldn’t because it was full of floating trash. I was livid.
I also like Jenny’s idea. After all, a picture says a thousand words.
And finally, I’d also like to see Manly Council issuing on the spot fines for littering. Our beach is beautiful and should stay that way!
December 13th, 2010
In regards to your newsletter today and all the rubbish on the beach! Actually there is a group called Two Hands who inspires people to pick up rubbish for 30 min a day! Last Saturday lots of locals helped out with cleaning the beach at Manly Cove. Over 800 cigarette butts and over 400 straws were found..after the tractor for cleaning the beach had been there. Yes we can wait for council to make a change..etc..but in between maybe we can all help as locals to pick up rubbish…somebodie elses rubbish..YES! but in return we look after ‘our’ beach! http://www.facebook.com/pages/Two-Hands-Projectorg/111774942217552
December 13th, 2010
Joel – I agree completely – where do I sign?
December 13th, 2010
You are absolutely correct!!!there were 6 men working on Shelley this AM trying to restore it to Friday morning’s pristeen condition!!
I think we need to charge people for taking food etc onto the beach through gated entrances if the public want to treat the beach as its own personal rubbish tip!!!
Keep up the Great work
Col. Jarvis
December 13th, 2010
Agree, agree, agree. Thoughtless people who ruin our beautful bush and beach with rubbish. Come on how hard is it to put in a bin, or take it home????
December 13th, 2010
Hi Joel,
Great work on highlighting the rubbish left on Manly Beach on the weekend! Love you work.
Thanks
Eve
December 13th, 2010
Mate – good call and good on you for getting on that Box!
When was the last time anyone saw anyone littering and then being fined = never!
Councils often say they can’t afford the extra Staff – bullshit – it’s the negative press they don’t want – they don’t have the balls to hire a Compliance Officer to get out there and start encouraging people to comply with the anti littering laws (and there’s quite a few) that exist.
Imagine, especially in Manly, but even here in Newy, or along the highways or anywhere, if you even saw a Litter Compliance Officer, it would be like seeing a Police Car on the F3 you slow down (even if you’re like me – old and boring and probably driving 5 klms under the speed limit).
Like you say – let a few people cop a fine and there would be conversations started – and I bet if some ratbag who got nailed with a fine started whinging about being caught, they would be howled down by most of the people around!
Bring it on – make it complimentary to the excellent work already being done to educate and encourage people to not litter, and let’s see where we get too – I bet it’s somewhere better than littered beaches, flora and fauna choked by plastics and cigarette butts, and highways that look more like to=he road to the tip rather than roads to beautiful places.
I’ve recently become involved with a new group called Take 3 from the Central Coast – simple message – instead of taking one piece of litter with you off the beach or park etc – take 3.
But sadly in a way this reflects the fact that the litter is there in the first place – we need a concerted effort from all aspects to hit this on the head.
And another sadly, and as you saw in India – we have the luxury of a relatively litter free environment – but this doesn’t mean we should be complacent hey!
My turn to get off the Box now – sorry.
All the best matey,
Chris.
December 13th, 2010
Joel, thanks for always capturing the amazing mornings from the small dot in the world we live. This morning thanks for also capturing how it is abused by thoughtless idiots leaving their rubbish behind. It is sad and needs what you have done – capture it before it is cleaned up and campaign against it. Thanks. C
December 13th, 2010
It I’m glad that a lot of people agree with the fact that there is a problem with the amount of trash left on the beach. Although Manly council does provide clean up crews there is very little done to prevent litter in the first place. Reaction as opposed to action!..
The thing that frustrates me is that they have the legislation in place to issue fines, yet they choose not to, whilst at the same time dishing out parking fines at a phenomenally rapid rate; mostly for the relatively harmless crime of overstaying the allotted time.
It would not take much manpower to station a few rangers around the beach on busy days – identify people leaving their trash behind and issue a fine. No doubt the media would go crazy about it, which is the desired effect. Even a fool will clean up their act if the fines are steep enough and enforced with the same gleeful energy as parking infringements are!…
December 13th, 2010
(This just came through to me as a forwarded email – Originally sent to Manly Council.)
As a long time citizen of Manly i wish to register a complaint to you regarding the inaction of Manly Council rangers to the problem of littering and anti-social behavior on our beach.
It has been officially recognised that cigarette butts are the number one enemy in the fight to protect our beaches and waterways.
Council rangers turn a blind eye to to the problem because it is easier to hit the soft targets eg: parking and dog control.(usually local residents)
Its just too simplistic to say that its hard to prosecute litterbugs…The rangers are not even trying.
How many penalties have been issued to litterbugs on our beaches?
I for one would like to know.
Even if it is difficult to obtain a conviction for a littering offence surely our local rangers need to be seen ON the beach at least periodically and they need to work on a quota of convictions.
One thing i know about human nature is that people do not like to be humiliated. I could not think of a better way to shame the perpetrators of littering than to publicly bail them up and fine them.
A simple stroll along any stretch of the Manly foreshore yields a staggering amount of cigarette butts…as my 21 month old daughter routinely points out to me on our daily walks.
Manly is supposed to be a smoke free zone…what a joke!
And if the argument is that frog-marching litterbugs off our beaches is bad for tourism…
What calibre of tourists are we talking about?
I speak for most locals when i say we don’t want the kind of people here who would feel threatened by the prospect of copping a fine for littering.
The word on the street is that the Manly Council rangers are persecuting the locals and ignoring the protection of our most precious commodity
There is a serious amount of resentment against the council and the rangers in particular amongst our local community.
Just ask anyone…
Most residents of Manly have a tale of woe concerning the Manly Council Rangers
I have never heard a resident praise the work the MCR are doing.
I want my children to grow up in a community that values its natural resources and is not afraid to prosecute those who treat our beautiful environment.with reckless contempt.
Sincerely
Peter
December 13th, 2010
(I have also just received a forward of the response from Manly Council to the above email / comment)
“Thank you for your recent email concerning litter on Manly beaches.
I would suggest that the problem of littering is not solely a Council matter. Littering should be seen as a community problem and as such it requires community support. Therefore Council would rely on the community to raise to smokers attention the ban on smoking on some parts of the Manly Council area.
It would be impossible for Council Enforcement Staff to be in a position to prevent each and every smoker smoking in non smoking areas.
I would also disagree with you that parking and dog control are easier targets than littering offences. The enforcement of any offence can be difficult in nature. Basic human instinct is to react in a negative manner which has resulted in a number of verbal and physical assaults on Council staff not only in Manly but throughout the state.
May I further suggest that you speak with a larger proportion of ratepayers to ascertain community feelings regarding Council Enforcement Staff. Written and verbal accolades are received by residents on a regular basis.
To conclude please note that a number of infringement notices and warnings have been issued to both residents and visitors to the Manly local government area for a raft of pollution offences including littering.”
I trust this addresses the points you raise.
December 13th, 2010
I think a peacefull protest like a MARCH involving everyone includng children/students/tourists/couch surfers..ect would make the council BE more aware of how much people care for the environment and FOR THE RANGERS???
IT IS NOT DIFFICULT TO PETROL THE BEACH DURING SPRING AND SUMMER.!!!
You could come up with a collection of ideas to improve the way the rangers operate and suggest them to the council.
From what i remember IN DAHAB ( EGYPT-RED SEA ) RANGERS ARE ALL LOCAL DIVERS, THEY VOLUNTEER TO PROTECT THE COAST FROM LITTERING AS THEY HAVE A MASSIVE PROBLEM WITH PLASTIC BOTTLES…..GET THE MANLY ENVIRONMENT CENTRE INVOLVED AND GET THEM TO CREATE TEAM OF VOLUNTEERS TO PETROL MAYBE. PEOLPLE WHO ARE DISRESPECTFUL TOWARDS THE BEACHES AND SURROUNDING AREAS SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO BE THERE. GET THEM OUT OF MANLY WITH A BIG FINE!
Thanks
Sara
December 13th, 2010
What a can of worms has been opened…… great job Joel, you do such a fantastic job of capturing the beauty of the area we live in and what a perfect forum to raise the issue of the out of control litter problem we have. I ran on the beach this morning and this evening and it was shocking both times. To name and shame… Macdonalds, Boost Juice, Hungry Jacks, Cold Rock…. these ‘local’ businesses should get involved in cleaning up the amount of wasteful packaging they are supplying… either in clean up man hours or provide an incentive scheme for the kids to return/ clean up their rubbish.
Manly council suggesting ‘littering is not solely a council matter but a community problem requiring support’ is a ridiculous comment to make given the opinion of most residents, the work done by the Manly Environment Centre, the Surfrider Foundation and the community of local people who use the beach every day. The community needs support from the council in terms of law enforcement and man hours. Peter makes a great observation about the amount of local resources being spent persecuting local residents for parking infringements, compared with the lack of visible law enforcement relating to non- residents abusing the town. On the very odd occasion I’ve seen people driving around on a golf buggy marked’ litter rangers’ but I’ve never seen any real action. I myself have tried to ask people to pick up their litter and dispose of it in one of the MANY rubbish bins along the sea front and Corso, only to be met with a torrent of abuse.
Another important aspect to note is that this littering is not reserved solely for Manly beach, after spending a few hours on Collins beach at the weekend, my partner and I collected two bags of beer bottles, cans, plastic and general rubbish,left behind from what seems to have been a fire held the previous night and from day time beach goers. This beach is one of the few habitats left on mainland Australia to sustain a colony of endangered Little Penguins. The rubbish being left behind is not just unsightly, disturbing and dangerous for us- there is a real negative effect on our local wildlife.
I’m sure that the vast majority of visitors to Manly have no idea about the local environment, the marine reserve, its endangered wildlife populations, and don’t have a care in the world about the state they leave it in at the end of each day. Maybe the ferry would be a great stage to better educate weekend visitors? Multi- lingual signs on the sea front? Litter police? I’m sure the Council would have the support of the local community if they would get the job done.
Sorry for rant too but this is an issue which really bothers me every day too!
Thanks for opening the forum Joel, good work.
December 13th, 2010
Ever stopped to think most of this litter is a result of poor product design? and also poor collection systems?
Manufacturers need to design packaging systems that do NOT get littered!
Remember refillable soda and beer bottles? We never saw them as litter because they were worth money.. every kid would grab bottles for the refund as soon as it was empty..
Been to South Australia? Hardly ever see an empty bottle littered there.. because of the bottle deposit system.. again, the trash is worth money, so it doesn’t get littered.
Put the responsibility back on manufacturers, lets have a law that fines manufacturers when their packaging is found as litter.
They will rapidly find a solution:)
December 14th, 2010
couldn’t agree with you more, i live down the far south coast at a beautiful beach called tathra and although we are a really quiet little part of the world there are still the rubbish ratbags here, i’m always picking up bits of rubbish. really annoying, we have a pristine part of the coastline here and they don’t appreciate it. keep up the great photos although i’m a long way from manly i still enjoy looking at the shots. bye the way just fyi the water is a lazy 16 here at the moment which is an improvement on last few weeks!!
December 24th, 2010
couldn’t agree with you more, i live down the far south coast at a beautiful beach called tathra and although we are a really quiet little part of the world there are still the rubbish ratbags here, i’m always picking up bits of rubbish. really annoying, we have a pristine part of the coastline here and they don’t appreciate it. keep up the great photos although i’m a long way from manly i still enjoy looking at the shots. bye the way just fyi the water is a lazy 16 here at the moment which is an improvement on last few weeks!!